Meet our Software Developer: Angela Contento

Hello Angela! Can you give a short introduction of yourself?

Hello all, my name is Angela Contento and I am originally from Ecuador. I work at Inteqnion as a Software Engineer. How did I end up here, at Inteqnion, you wonder?

Well, ever since I was a kid I was interested in computers and software. Normally, when you turn 15 in Ecuador, you get a nice party to celebrate it. But when I got 15, all I wanted was a computer instead, so my mom got me a computer. That’s when my interest in computers grew even more. I was the only person in my region with a computer and access to the internet, so I started renting it to others. You can imagine that by the time I was 19, there was only one study direction on my mind: Computer Science.

I told my mom I wanted to go to the USA to study at an University. But my mom didn’t like the idea of me being alone there, so she said that I could better go to Italy, where relatives of us live. I went to  Genoa in 2003 to study on the University of Genoa, where I obtained both my Bachelor and Master Degree in Computer Science Engineering.

After my studies in Genoa, a company in Italy offered me a job. I took it and that’s how I stayed in Italy and became Italian. During that time I worked a lot with MES automation and there was a lot of commissioning involved for me as well. Among others, I went to Spain, Chili, the Netherlands and Panama.

When I visited the Netherlands for my job, love took over and I fell in love with (who is now) my husband. I moved to The Netherlands in 2020 and I still live in the Netherlands. And as you know by now, I currently work at Inteqnion in Aalten.

What is your role within Inteqnion and the Triott Group?

I am a Software Developer at Inteqnion. That means I analyse and implement software features in our system. Simply explained: a client wants to improve their process and we start to analyse it. We check what we can do better, make changes to the software and then implement these changes. We then remotely integrate the new software at our clients facility.

I work on many projects and it never gets boring. Every client has got it’s own wishes and issues, what makes that every project is different. An additional factor is our world wide work field. Every country brings in a different factor at a project, what makes it a various job. At Inteqnion we can run simulations as well, this is a big difference with my previous jobs. With simulations, you get a way better idea of what your software will do in real life.

What does a working day at Inteqnion look like?

I really enjoy my working days. It is always interesting and every day I have to face new challenges. We work on new plants regularly and every plant has got its own challenges. This is what I really like about Inteqnion and my work here. I like my colleagues as well, they are friendly, open guys who help me if necessary. The co-workers at other departments are also very nice t work with. At some previous jobs, it was sort of ‘everyone for themselves’, something that is completely different here. At Inteqnion everyone helps each other, also between departments. Our project managers also think this way: they want your input when facing difficulties, and then they do something with it. Everyone here really has the feeling that we are one team and together we can come to the best results. This atmosphere at work is what I like a lot about Inteqnion.

What are the best – and less – sides of your job?

The best part of my work has to be that I can go inside the process and get to understand how something works. I really like doing these analyses of plants and finding out how they work.

Having that said, I don’t think there’s anything at the moment that I dislike about my job. Because I have to do a lot of different things, it doesn’t get boring. My job includes front end, back end, analysis, testing and functional design. While in the beginning I was a bit afraid of so many responsibilities, I enjoy them a lot now. It makes my job very versatile. The people at Inteqnion give me trust and many opportunities to take responsibility.

Can you recommend others to work as a software developer as well? And why (not)?

I definitely can! When you’re interested in software, working as a developer is very satisfying. You can see the changes you make on your computer become reality. And in my case, at Inteqnion, the work is dynamic and I can do something new every week. With clients in the milling industries, there is always something new to learn.

If you could give one piece of advise to other people who want to work at Inteqnion, what would it be?

If you like to work at a dynamic company with clients all around the world, this is the place for you. You get to work at an open company with very nice colleagues where your opinion counts. And if you are a women from abroad, just like me, you’re extra welcome…